What’s a Realistic Budget for Living in Thailand? Here’s an example of my most recent handyman bill and the story behind it: The mounting of my sliding carport gate came adrift and needed three welds and my guest bedroom sink was leaking water because its drain and stopper had never been correctly installed and needed replacing. Our Concierge tech team, two guys, showed up unannounced (everyone in Thailand shows up unannounced) welded the gate and took… [Read More]

Why Thai Property Investment Scams Target Foreigners Thailand runs on relationships, prestige, loyalty, money and the law – in that order, which often makes Thai property investment scams successful.Unless you’re a member of the Thai ‘club’ it’s wise to have a prestigious friend who is, because Thai Property Investment Scams are common. The (current) experience of farang friend who owns a restaurant shows why: his restaurant has been a great success in its first year and, last… [Read More]

Chiang Mai Cost of Living An Aussie, Michelle Hammond, writes that living in Chiang Mai saves her $23,994 a year: “Before moving here, I knew Chiang Mai offered low-cost living and that the savings I’d make would mean I’d be in for a nice lifestyle upgrade. But I didn’t realise just how good the value was. Now I’m settled in, I’ve a good handle on my budget and the savings I’m making run right across the board, from… [Read More]

Bring More Cash to Thailand Than You Think You’ll Need! Most of Asia does business in cash and Thailand’s no exception. You’ll need to carry cash with you at all times in Thailand unless you want to use a local debit card. Using foreign cards is very, very expensive and only a last resort. So bring cash to Thailand! Lots of cash!! Shortly after I moved to Thailand I experienced card skimming and bank blocks on… [Read More]

Here are the Thai Festivals for 2016–2017 JANUARY Handmade Umbrella Festival #Chinese New Year FEBRUARY Chiang Mai Flower Festival: The beautiful Chiang Mai Flower Festival will be held from February 3-5, 2017 at Chiang Mai, Thailand. Hosted by the Chiang Mai town in Thailand, the Festival is one of the colourful celebrations across the globe. The festival is known for the emphasis on of the Damask Rose, a variety of rose native to the city,… [Read More]

Money in Thailand’s Booming Economy is something of a mystery. Thailand takes a libertarian approach to government, so if you’re a close libertarian, this is the place for you. Taxes are negligible and interference with your life is rare. To paraphrase the song, You can drink all the liquor down in Suphodthika: ain’t nobody’s business if you do. Or, to use the current phrase, Thailand is not a Nanny state. Nobody will stop you speeding on… [Read More]

What Happens When Thai Immigration Visits Me? The USA and the UK are relaxed about foreigners but, when Thai Immigration visits me I find that’s not true in Thailand. Your registered Thai address turns out to be more important than some people think. Chonburi immigration is the first province to start insisting that resident farangs stay where they’ve registered and finding offenders 4,000 baht. Officers there have been checking their records against foreigners residing in the area then fining people… [Read More]